At the age of 50, Cyril Gringore ended on 28 December 2023, with the Ligue 1 match Paris SG - Strasbourg, a career that started in 1990, in Seine-Maritime. A few days earlier, he had experienced his second World Cup in Qatar, as part of the trio he had composed since 2016 along with Clement Turpin and Nicolas Danos. Gringore had specialized as assistant referee I 2002 and climbed all the levels in 33 years of career, accumulating appointments at the highest level: U-17 World Cups in 2015 and 2017, Euros 2016 and 2020, World Cups 2018 and 2022, Europa League final 2021, Champions League final 2022, Club World Cup 2022. Rewarded with two UNFP Trophies for best assistant referee in Ligue 1 (2021 and 2022), Cyril Gringore is now a happy and satisfied retired referee.
- The World Cup in Qatar signaled the end of your international career. What memory will you keep?
- We stayed for five weeks, with quite exceptional living, training, and supervision conditions. The three matches for which we were chosen went very well (Uruguay-South Korea, Ecuador-Senegal, and the Round of 16 Brazil-South Korea) - our performances were rather successful. We also had the chance to attend other matches in the stands, such as three quarter-final matches, including France-England. The qualification of France for the semi-finals put an end to the World Cup for the French referees. It's always a little disappointing, we were ready to go further but that's the rule, we know it, and nothing tells us that FIFA would have called on us again afterwards. We will never know. We are proud to have achieved a great World Cup and happy that France made it to the final, a good thing for the Federation. On a personal level, ending my international career at this World Cup will remain a great memory.
- You had one last match to honor in Ligue 1 during Paris SG-Strasbourg, on December 28. A special moment?
- I had expressed the wish to have one last match in France because it was important to me to finish in front of my family and loved ones. For me, being from Normandy, Paris was perfect in terms of logistics. Knowing also that it would be my 400th match in Ligue 1, a good account. What's more at the Parc des Princes, a legendary stadium. During the warm-up, I said to myself that I was walking on this field for the last time and the feeling was a little weird. And then in the locker room, during the preparation, I tried not to think too much about that, I put myself in the game. But at the final whistle, I thought: this time, I'm definitely putting away the shoes and the flag.
- What will happen with your two friends, Clement Turpin and Nicolas Danos, without you?
- They are not lost [laughs]. Benjamin Pages [36 years old] will join them and complete the trio. My replacement had been prepared. Seeing them on their next Ligue 1 match will certainly be a special moment, but that's how it is.
- And you, what are you doing now? Is the refereeing page definitively turned?
- Since January 2, I have resumed my duties in the National Police, where I have returned to the position that I held at the police school in Oissel, near Rouen. After having been an instructor for many years, I am now assigned to the security of the site. But no, the refereeing is not completely over yet. I will no longer be on the pitch, but I will remain on duty for appointments as VAR in Ligue 1, as well as for observation of matches for the DTA.
- What do you remember from your long career as a referee?
- Refereeing has given me a lot. For 33 years, it has been a great sporting and human adventure, from my beginnings in the district to the highest professional level, punctuated by numerous meetings with players, coaches, managers, and trips to 40 or about 50 countries, which I would never have visited otherwise. It builds character. Thank you to refereeing for allowing me to experience this and thank you to the people who allowed me to enter refereeing when I was 17 years old. I did not imagine the prospects that refereeing can open.
- Your track record is impressive: two Euros, two World Cups, two European finals, among others.
- I never thought I would have such a career, go so high. It was exceptional. The 2022 Champions League final at the Stade de France and the Peru-New Zealand intercontinental play-off in November 2017 in Lima will remain my fondest memories. The two World Cups occupy a special place, too. A World Cup match is so strong to experience, with sensations that you don't feel in other matches when you enter the field. Among my good memories, I officiated for 10 years with Freddy Fautrel and two others with Rudy Buquet, including a U-17 World Cup in Chile.
- No regrets or bad memories?
- I didn't attend any Olympics. I was not yet teaming up with Clement Turpin and Nicolas Danos when they were selected for Rio in 2016; I only joined them when Frederic Cano decided to stop after the Olympic Games. But that's not really a regret. And, honestly, I don't really have a bad memory. I had a linear career, with a fairly constant progression, without any demotions. I only had a small disappointment in 2011, when I lost my international status, but that only lasted a year. Looking back, it wasn't a big deal.
- Your nephew, Jules, is a young referee of the FFF, your son Victor officiates in Regional 2 seniors. Is the relay secure?
- That's it, the family succession is ready! As a member of the Regional Referee Committee in Normandy, in charge of young referees, I try to give back to refereeing all that it has been able to bring me. We are so short of referees right now. We need to encourage those who want to referee. If my background can inspire young people, so much better!
Source: FFF
